The article written by Bonnie Rochman (Sept 28, 2011) states that "Mom and Dad recoil when doctors describe their children as 'fat' or 'obese.'" Why do you think that is? They recoil when they hear the words fat and obese but they don't recoil when they serve food to their kid that's coated in bad decision making?

Why do we have to even classify levels of obesity? It's as if the word obesity has become tolerable and the "morbidly" obese is the crowd w…

I am learning about an entirely new world - one that has existed around me (evidently) but one I had never noticed before. It's funny when we have an epiphany and realize something we've never had to notice before. For me, it's learning about combat-blinded veterans.

I hadn't planned on immersing myself in the world - it just happened that way. My friend reached out to me a few months ago and told me he was injured in Afghanistan. From the moment he agreed to let me write his story, I haven't stopped learning about life as a combat-blinded veteran.

I attended the Blinded Veterans Association's annual convention in Vegas and then traveled to San Diego to learn more about my friend's living conditions, therapy and lifestyle. My intent for the story was to thoroughly document his occupational therapy, visual therapy or any of the activities. Because of a glitch in the system, their communications officer didn't give a stamp of approval for me to attend hi…

I look forward to Saturday mornings because it's a yoga day! Sometimes I'm not as prepared to leave the house and I have to rush to class. I realize rushing to yoga is a bit counterproductive but it's just the way it goes.

I drive up the parking deck, pop the truck, grab my mat and head to the library. I wait anxiously as the elevator doors open and take me toward my yoga retreat. If I'm late to class, I have to search for an open space. Lately I've been good about being on time and even a little early. Those extra moments on my mat before class begins lets me stretch out and prepare for a wonderful experience.

Classes rotate between two instructors. Their styles are very different as are their accents. I cannot help but love Priyanka's accent. Her voice sounds like a beautiful melody that's constantly reminding me of her upbringing in India. Maybe it's her accent, maybe it's her tone, maybe it's her natural love of yoga ... but she's becom…

I watched Frontline: The Medicated Child and feel there was an essential element missing from the documentary: nutrition and dietary habits that influence human development and the need for medication.

I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the great benefits we have at our disposal thanks to modern-day science. Advances in the medical field have granted many of us the ability to survive horrific injuries whereas years ago, death would be imminent. Over-the-counter medications like NyQuil help me sleep if ever I'm not feeling well and there was one over-the-counter medication I took when I got the most awful case of food poisoning in my life during my stay in South America that (once ingested) made the rest of my vacation a bit more pleasant. Having said all that, Frontline: The Medicated Child didn't focus on the mundane over-the-counter habits we have acquired. Instead, it focused on medicating and diagnosing children with behavioral disorders. I understand why diagn…

"I didn't do anything that any other Marine wouldn't do. I definitely
don't see myself as hero, I see myself as the furthest thing from a
hero. I went in there to get my guys out alive and I failed, so I'm more
of a failure than a hero in my eyes," said Sgt. Dakota Meyer, the most recent recipient of the Medal of Honor.

This is a magnificent honor for someone and I struggle to understand why some people are awarded it and others aren't. I know in my heart that there are many nameless heroes living among us from numerous campaigns who probably deserved high awards - if not the Medal of Honor itself. In cities and regions of this world with names too complex for most of us to pronounce, men and women perform true acts of heroism without consideration of reward, acknowledgement or any perks. They do it just because it's their job. They do it because the men and women to their right and left matter. They do it because they know that sacrifice is what …

My honey and I attended the Palm Beach Marine Flea Market and Seafood Festival in West Palm Beach because we love seafood and thought spending the afternoon outside was a great idea. I had never been to the Florida State Fairgrounds nor had I attended any local seafood festivals so I knew this would be an adventure.

As with most flea markets, there are some seriously overzealous salespeople who are desperate to draw passerbys into their booths. I'm not a fan of overbearing salesmen/women. I'd much rather stroll around, glance at the booths selling an extremely diverse collection of items and not feel compelled to buy. In fact, I think a pleasant hello and, "Please let me know if I can help you with anything" will suffice for my shopping experience. Trust me, if I want to know more about the merchandise, artist, purpose of something, etc., I will ask. I promise. But, I'm more tempted to say, "Could you please shhhhhh a bit. I'm browsing." If something…

I attended the 10th Anniversary of 9-11 at an Operation Homefront Freedom Walk & Run 2011 in South Florida and was pretty surprised about a few things. Let me begin with the positive items:

I was very impressed with the amount of people who came out to do the 5k even though it was pretty early in the morning considering it was early Sunday morning. I appreciate the effort it takes to get out of bed on the weekend during the early hours on a day off. I also realize that the families who came out as a "team" probably had to spend extra time getting ready. I was also very impressed with the organization and companies that donated to Operation Homefront. It certainly is a worthwhile cause so kudos to all those involved.

South Florida is incredibly beautiful. On the east coast we have the Florida sunrises. The sun's rays are hot, orange, strong and beautiful. I love how the sun envelops everything with a beautiful orange hue. It makes me enjoy the mornings even more arou…

It's as if this dreaded day in our nation's history has become a spectacle ... almost a holiday ... but, it is supposed to be a day of remembrance, right? We remember those we lost in the towers, those on the flight and all of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice of war. So, why does it feel like this is becoming a national holiday instead of a solemn remeberance?

I remember 9/11/2001 like it was yesterday. I was in college and class wasn't even canceled. In retrospect, I can't believe classes weren't canceled. I headed to my mom's house and was glued to the TV. Broadcast after broadcast ... they repeated the same damn footage - footage I've grown to despise. I've also grown to truly dislike Enrique Inglesias' song "I can be your hero" and Jewel's song "Hands" and even Enya's "Only time." There was just too much footage with these songs overlaid that I could consider forgiving the memories associated to t…